His main concern was that Leap To Fame would not recover quickly and miss not only important work but also additional prep races, as the New Zealand Cup 3200m race is often the toughest race in Australasia.

However, Dixon’s concerns have been put to rest and Leap To Fame is set to race at Menangle in Sydney this week before heading to New Zealand.

“He recovered pretty quickly and was able to perform very well (Sunday),” Dixon said.

“By being around him all the time, his personality and attitude returns to normal, so you will never suspect that he has problems. So we’re ready to go and we intend to come to New Zealand after this week.”

Leap To Fame starts the 2300m race on Saturday against horses he must beat as Victoria Cup winner and reigning New Zealand Cup champion Swayze will not be there.

Swayze will not return to Addington to defend his title.

“If he races the way I expect him to this Saturday, he will stay here in Sydney and continue until next weekend and then fly to Auckland and go to Christchurch.”

Dixon will next delight New Zealand harness racing fans as Leap To Fame competes in the official Cup trials at Addington on November 6th.

“I want to give him a look at the track and get out from behind the tapes one more time,” he said, referring to the standing start practice at Leap To Fame.

Saturday’s race and test will give punters who have questions about Leap To Fame’s Cup readiness two chances to assess how close he is to his daunting peak and how he can cope with the unusual pressures of New Zealand Cup day.

His recent ups and downs have hurt the market for our biggest harness race, with Leap To Fame receiving $2.50 equal favoritism with Merlin when news of his virus first broke.

It’s now back at $1.75, Merlin is back at $4.50, and Don’t Stop Dreaming is $5.50. These two top local Cup chances will meet in the Flying Stakes at Ashburton on Monday.

Leap To Fame will headline the strongest Australian assault on New Zealand’s premier racing carnival since 1983, when Popular Alm, Gammalite and Scotch Notch led a line-up of superstars at the Inter Dominions in Auckland, with the Aussies winning both finals.

The 2011 Inter Dominion team from Australia was also strange, but lacked firepower.

The Aussies could dominate Addington as not only is Leap To Fame’s compatriot in the Cup likely to be Auckland Cup winner Better Eclipse, but also champion trotter Just Believe, who returns to Dominion for the $100,000 Free-For-All on Exhibition Day.

They could be joined by a host of Open Class horses in both gaits from the powerful stables of Jason Grimson and Andy Gat, with 3-year-old trotter Keayang Zahara competing in the first running of the $500,000 Ascent slot race on November 15th.

She looked odd in Australia and could stay in the New Zealand Trotting Oaks and Derby as Australian horses dominate many Group 1 markets like never before.

New Zealand Trotting Cup Day

What: New Zealand’s most iconic race.

Where: Addington, Christchurch.

When: November 12.

How much: $1 million.

Who: Australasia’s top players, led by Australian champion Leap To Fame.

Bonus: The $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trotter Competition has also been moved to Cup Day.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published articles on horse racing while still at school, and began writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald in 1990, when he was 20 years old. In 1995, he became editor of the Herald’s Racing and covers the world’s biggest horse. racing carnivals.